My cousin is about my age (even though he looks way older) and lives in the Boston area and is, therefore, a Boston fanatic. He has made converting me into a Boston fanatic as well his special project ever since I started school here. After all, getting a New Yorker to come over to the other side would be something to brag about — and wouldn’t it?
Every time I visit him, he always asks me the same question:
“So, do you like Boston more now, are you still stuck at home?”
When college started, when I missed the city that I had known all my life and had been so familiar with, my answer would have been “NEW YORK FTW T_T”, but as I’ve grown accustomed to life here, that question is becoming more difficult to answer.
Truth is, both cities are beautiful, however, the charm of New York and the charm of Boston are different, and I’ve learned to embrace both.
Boston
Photo Credit: Posted by Robbie Shade via Wiki Commons
I remember going to Faneuil Hall for the first time when I was around six years old (or at least, that was the first time I remember going there), and I thought that I was in the most gorgeous market I had ever seen. It was as if all the drawings of old colonial America had the sudden came to life. From the market buildings made of brick to the street performers to the chilly wind in the air, I felt like I was transported back into 1776 while being in 2003 at the same time.
Then while walking down Newbury Street, I felt as if I was in the middle of a Harry Potter book walking down Diagon Alley to go buy my owl and wand for my new year at Hogwarts.
After all, Boston’s architecture and its swirling streets have a European feel to it and the city has made a point to keep its colonial heritage alive — something New York really hasn’t done.
New York
Photo Credit: Posted by Ramon B. Nunez Jr. via Wiki Commons
BUT, that doesn’t mean New York doesn’t have hints of its history lingering everywhere you go, and it definitely doesn’t mean that New York isn’t breathtaking every time I see it. New York may be extremely crowded, loud, polluted, and just hyperactive at all hours of the day, but that doesn’t mean that New York doesn’t have its share of beautiful places. For me, every street in New York has some restaurant or café worth trying, every neighborhood has some ethnic enclave that has a rich history and culture embedded in it, and not to mention the bagels and pizza are unbeatable here.
It’s a city that’s always full of life, energy, and cherished memories — so while Boston may be a city that I love (and will always have a special place in my heart), New York will always be home.
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Featured Image Photo Credit: Posted by John Haslam ,Robbie Shade, Lucius Kwok, and Phil Gold via Wiki Commons
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